Maker of Diazinon to Phase Out Insecticide
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief maker of
diazinon, an
insecticide used worldwide for 48 years, said
Tuesday it would
phase out production of the chemical under an
agreement with
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Syngenta Crop Protection USA, a unit of Swiss
chemical
company Syngenta AG (SYT.N)(SYNZn.S) said it
would end sales of
diazinon for control of home and garden insect
pests by the end
of 2004.
A consumer group said the EPA also would
eliminate many of
the pesticide's uses on agricultural crops. An
EPA spokesman
said such a regulation "is in the works." A
published report
said EPA was expected to issue the rule
Tuesday.
Used in everything from household ant and roach
killers to
grub-killing lawn sprays, diazinon is marketed
under such
brands as Ortho, Spectracide and Real-Kill.
When EPA acts, said the group Consumers Union,
it will mean
the end of the use of organophosphate chemicals
in and around
the home. CU said the step would protect the
children from
potentially harmful exposure to the pesticide.
Organophosphates are a group of chemicals
derived from
nerve gas agents developed during World War
Two.
EPA reviewed diazinon under the 1996 Food
Quality
Protection Act, which requires review of more
than 9,000
pesticide tolerances by 2006.
In a statement, Syngenta said tests showed
diazinon was
safe, but that declining profit margins had
prompted its
withdrawal from the diazinon market. Other
firms may produce
diazinon for agricultural use after 2004, it
said.
"Although it continues to be an effective
product, we
recognize that diazinon is at the end of its
product life
cycle," Syngenta official Eileen Watson said.
Chuck Benbrook, a consultant to Consumers
Union, said there
were a number of alternative pesticides to
diazinon with more
to come.
"There is no reason, knowing what we do about
this
chemical, to keep it on the market," he said.
Diazinon has a wide range of uses in farming,
ranching and
pest control at home and in cities. CU said it
is often used on
grapes, green beans, peaches and green leafy
vegetables and was
particularly toxic to birds.
Farm groups have complained the EPA review of
chemicals
under the 1996 law targeted useful pesticides
without assuring
alternatives were available to protect crop
production.
Syngenta AG is a large global agribusiness with
20,000
employees in 50 countries and headquarters in
Basel,
Switzerland. It was formed in November 2000
from the
agribusiness branch of Novartis and the
agrochemical businesses
of AstraZeneca.
